**COVID19 Care Home Support > Implementation Status**

**Local Authority:** Norfolk\
**Contact name:** Stuart Clifton\
**E-mail:** stuart.clifton@norfolk.gov.uk\
**Total number of CQC registered care homes in your area:** 141

Please submit local plans (covering letter and this template) to Greater clarity around equipment requirements

| Focus 1: Infection prevention and control measures | Number of Care Homes | Would additional support be helpful to progress implementation further? | Please indicate any issues that you would like to highlight (optional) | |---|---|---|---| | 1. Ability to isolate residents within their own care homes | 207 | No | Norfolk is having regular telephone discussions with Quality Monitoring Officers regarding ensuring of alternative accommodation for COVID-19 isolation for people with LD/Autism | | 2. Actions to restrict staff movement between care homes | 284 | Yes | Increased support to recruit additional staff and to expand the available staffing pool. To avoid ambiguity, DHSC to strengthen guidance and communications confirming closing of staff across care homes is not permitted unless faced with an emergency. | | 3. Paying staff full wages while isolating following a positive test | 111 | Yes | DHSC to issue clear guidance around the expectations of care homes paying full wages as a result of a positive test. Longer-term, it is essential to retain the numbers and skills of an engaged and supported workforce. DHSC to support additional financial assistance in exceptional circumstances, for example, loss of revenue from empty beds and the risk this brings to care home business continuity. |

**Focus 2: Testing**

| Number of Care Homes | Would additional support be helpful to progress implementation further? | Please indicate any issues that you would like to highlight (optional) | |---|---|---| | 1. Registration on the government’s testing portal | 261 | Yes | DHSC to provide IT support to assist with small care homes registering. DHSC to provide faster turnaround times for test results through to partial. Ensure that test results are fed into local systems to ensure complete data picture. | | 2. Access to COVID-19 tests kits for all residents and asymptomatic staff | 98 | Yes | DHSC to clarify the question to ensure results reflect all forms of testing such as asymptomatic testing. Norfolk take a view that the most effective results are gained from tests undertaken by clinical or specifically trained staff (NCC have adopted this approach with our local testing offer). | | 3. Testing of all residents discharged from hospital to care homes | 216 | No | NCC/NWCCG have a long established criteria for safe acute discharge and have commissioned a step down facility to ensure safe discharge for patients unable to be isolated. |

**Focus 3: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Clinical Equipment**

| Number of Care Homes | Would additional support be helpful to progress implementation further? | Please indicate any issues that you would like to highlight (optional) | |---|---|---| | 1. Access to sufficient PPE to meet needs | 328 | Yes | Successful, supported and timely rollout of the national distribution portal “Clipper” from issue of essential PPE or if there is to be a charge then priced at the manufactured cost. Greater clarity around equipment requirements. | | 2. Access to medical equipment needed for COVID-19 | 274 | Yes | NCC have an established system to meet urgent PPE needs across all health and social care providers. This operates 24/7 with two dispatches per day. |

**Focus 4: Workforce support**

| Number of Care Homes | Would additional support be helpful to progress implementation further? | Please indicate any issues that you would like to highlight (optional) | |---|---|---| | 1. Access to training in the use of PPE from clinical or Public Health teams | 200 | Yes | DHSC to consider equipping that each care home has a nominated trainer specifically for PPE use. | | 2. Access to training on use of key medical equipment needed for COVID-19 | 216 | Yes | DHSC to offer support with Technology upgrades, both technical and financial, specifically for PPE use. | | 3. Access to additional capacity including from locally contracted returning healthcare professionals or volunteers | 118 | Yes | Guidelines and more resourcing concerning indemnity of NHS staff working across care providers. |

**Focus 5: Clinical support**

| Number of Care Homes | Would additional support be helpful to progress implementation further? | Please indicate any issues that you would like to highlight (optional) | |---|---|---| | 1. Named Clinical Lead in place for support and guidance | 267 | No | Norfolk has assigned a Clinical Lead for each registered care home. As a direct result of this feedback, additional communications is being planned. | | 2. Access to mutual aid offer (primary and community health support) | 320 | No | Norfolk is supporting the development of a pan-polyclinic workforce model across health and care professionals aligned to the locations/PCTs. |